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HauntedIllinois.com's

2016 Fables Fright Nights Review

Fables Fright Nights601 Dundee AveEast Dundee, IL 60118

Large parking lot, plenty of parking available, located right at the front entrance. Location was easily found using GPS, with a large flashing arrow at the curb.

Wait Entertainment:

No wait entertainment present for amusement park itself, you pay and go right in. Individual attractions had costumed actors interacting with the crowd, and a masked man with a chainsaw was lurking in the scare zones.

Admission:

General Admission $30, VIP Admission $45 (skip the line access for all haunted houses only). Tickets available online and at the door.

LPR stands for Length/Price Ratio. It represents perceived value of an event, by
comparing
length vs price of admission. Higher numbers represent more value per dollar. Actual
quality and/or entertainment value of an event are not factors in this calculation.
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visited this year by the staff of HauntedIllinois.com.

Crowd control was handled the same at all of the attractions, with each group being allowed to go thru several minutes apart, with no merging encountered.

Summary:

The four haunted houses located at Fables Fright Nights include The Catacombs, Ghosts of Christmas Past, Carnivale, and The Ritual, described as separate entities below.

The Catacombs: The Catacombs was my favorite Fables haunted house, the set up was really neat. It had a mausoleum type feel, with rows and rows of urns, and cracked decaying doors and walls, adding to its creepy ambiance. The house was dark, just enough light to allow you to find your way thru, whilst providing plenty of shelter for those who lurk within. Skulls and artifacts line the walls, as you twist and turn toward the exit. And the Gatekeeper... she was the real treat! Collecting the chewed gum of her lost souls, and yes... eating it, with a personal goal of 20, at last count she was at 10 juice filled pieces. Really grabs ya by the gut, that one!

Ghosts of Christmas Past: I really liked the "Stranger Things" feel this house provided. The alphabet letters painted on the wall, and strung Christmas lights allowing communication with the dead added a really fun touch. Upsetting Lady Davenport, we were forced to flee thru the back exit of the house, making our way thru bags of bodies hanging from the ceiling, and Lady Davenport awaiting us at the end. She wasn't looking for gum, it was our souls she was interested in.

Carnivale: Carnivale was also a house well done. As the name implies, carnival was its theme, and I truly believe the sole reason for the 13+ age suggestion listed on the website. Language was a bit colorful and raunchy at times. I was a bit taken aback, and a little embarrassed with the use of it (as my teenage daughter was with me) but all-in-all, most likely nothing she hadn't heard before, and the clowns did put on an entertaining show. The house was set up in a maze type style, with one particular clown changing the pattern as you go. Closing paths that were once open, and opening paths that were once closed, you're pretty much at the mercy of the clowns as to when you get out. I particularly liked the room filled with stuffed animals and the life sized teddy bear requesting my stuffing. To be honest, I'd gladly have gave him some if I could have!

The Ritual: The Ritual kinda reminded me of "Children of the Corn", wandering thru a maze of corn rows, watched, followed, and taunted by children in black robes, shaking the corn around you. Not much other to describe here other than corn, corn, and more corn.

Overall, I wouldn't rate Fables as much of a scary attraction (although the website hints differently), but we did have a good time. There were fair type rides to ride, good food at reasonable prices, and even alcoholic beverages if you so desired. I didn't notice any merchandise booths open, but there were caricatures available for purchase, as well as action shot photos. There were also several photo opportunities thru-out the park such as scarecrows, cemeteries, and costumed actors. Gabby the Elf located at "Meet the Krampus" was definitely a personal favorite of ours! Meeting Krampus was a good time too.